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Chhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan

Hydro power plant in Chhukha, Bhutan. Approximate location 27.1104, 89.5313.

HydroChhukhaBhutanrun-of-riverPre Construction

Chhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan is a 336 MW hydro power station in Chhukha, Bhutan. It is operated by Druk Green Power CORP LTD (DGPC); Tehri Hydro Development CORP LTD (THDCL). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 336k homes (estimated). It ranks #2 of 5 Bhutan power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 100.0% of Bhutan's electricity; the national grid averages 24 gCO₂/kWh (100.0% low-carbon) (2024).

336Legacy source-record capacity
336,384homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEODB0040472.

Data status

Known data

FacilityChhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan WRI
CountryBhutan · Chhukha WRI
Coordinates27.1104, 89.5313 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity336 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDruk Green Power CORP LTD (DGPC); Tehri Hydro Development CORP LTD (THDCL) WRI
Technologyrun-of-river WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2 of 5 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 of 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.25× · 64 MW median · 5 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent336,384 calculated
Climate10.0°C · HDD 2,919 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 25/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 336 MW, Chhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan is well above the median hydro plant in Bhutan (64 MW). Technically it is described as run-of-river. Its current lifecycle status is “pre construction” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Bhutan

Tala Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan: 1,020 MW1kTala Hydro…Chhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan: 336 MW336Chhukha Hy…Basochhu Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan: 64 MW64Basochhu H…Kurichhu Hydro-electric Power Station Bhutan: 60 MW60Kurichhu H…Rangjung Small Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan: 2 MW2Rangjung S…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Druk Green Power CORP LTD (DGPC); Tehri Hydro Development CORP LTD (THDCL).

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 27.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.0°Cannual mean temp
2,919heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,792 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 15 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 11 °CON: 7 °CND: 4 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 19% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 60/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
25/100environmental-severity index
12.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
554 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #2 largest hydro power plant of 5 in Bhutan by capacity.

Bhutan has 5 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 1,482 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 27.1104, 89.5313 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Chhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan?

Chhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan is a 336 MW source-record hydro power plant in Chhukha, Bhutan.

How many homes can Chhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 336,384 homes (estimated).

Who operates Chhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan?

Chhukha Hydroelectric Power Plant Bhutan is operated by Druk Green Power CORP LTD (DGPC); Tehri Hydro Development CORP LTD (THDCL).

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